


In Search of a Purpose

by AriaDream



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-05-29 18:15:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15078860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriaDream/pseuds/AriaDream
Summary: Inspired by World without Heroes by KisekiMa! Arjuna, Karna and other heroes have been summoned for less than heroic purposes. Arjuna finds himself the odd one out because no one seems to care... but will it remain that way? Not for long. Yet, when trouble comes, will they be able to do anything about it? Sometimes being the most powerful is a liability. Karna/OC, Arjuna/Circe, might be more pairing and threesomes in the future. :)





	1. Chapter 1

_This is degrading and I hate it._

Arjuna waited with feigned patience for his Master to return. His fellow Servants were in the room. On the floor, Karna and Achilles were playing a game of skill and dexterity. It was called ‘Jenga’, or so Arjuna thought. Seated on a mat not far from them, their Assassin class Servant was polishing his weapons with single minded concentration. Where were the other three? Arjuna did not know, nor care.

_To think that we are summoned for such a purpose. To think that the Throne of Heroes allows it!_ Arjuna silently fumed as he thought of it. They were summoned, not for any grand purpose, but merely the _amusement_ of the magi. Pitted against each other in gladiatorial combat, they competed for trophies, bragging rights and small favors. It was disgusting!

The worst part of it, though, was that he was the only one in their team who seemed to care. Arjuna looked at Karna with disfavor. He was very carefully removing a block from the wooden tower, his gaze as intent as if he was aiming his bow. Arjuna decided to be minimally polite and said nothing until Karna finished removing the block. The tower wobbled, just a touch, but then maintained the structure.

“Are the three of you truly satisfied with our place here?” Arjuna asked and the Jenga players both looked at him. Assassin ignored him, putting aside one weapon to work on another. “Fighting without any kind of purpose, as slaves in a pit?”

“Speak for yourself, Archer. I fought for fame and glory when I was alive and I’m fighting for it now,” Achilles said, perfectly indifferent as he began removing another block. Arjuna was sure the tower would topple soon. “Master doesn’t treat me as a slave, either.”

“Nor does she treat you as a slave,” Karna added and Arjuna ground his teeth together. He would love to put an arrow through Karna’s throat. (again) “Our story was fading as well. As we fight, it regains lustre.”

“Mmm, it is true, the remembrance of my clan has meaning to me,” Assassin – his name was Kotarou – said softly and politely, as was his nature. “But I mostly fight for our Master. She is a woman worthy of respect.” Arjuna wasn’t surprised that an Assassin would think so.

“She bewitches you with promises of glory. Except for you, Karna. She bewitches you with her body,” Arjuna said nastily and Karna’s mismatched eyes grew cold. He rose from the floor with a quiet but deadly aura and Arjuna knew he’d already said too much. Yet… “You ignore the blood on her breath.” Well, not her breath. But the scent of shed blood surrounded her like a shroud and Arjuna knew their Master was capable of murder. Karna’s eyes grew colder.

“Have you forgotten that I rained down destruction upon armies?” Karna said quietly and Arjuna’s lips tightened. That wasn’t the same – “It is the same. And you have no ground to stand upon, murderer of kin.” Red hazed Arjuna’s vision and he was holding his bow pointed at his brother’s throat –

And Achilles stepped between them.

“Stop it! And you can shut up. You can always go back to the Throne, if that’s what you really want,” Achilles said firmly and Arjuna took a deep breath before lowering his bow and carefully allowing the arrow to vanish.

“I do not wish to go back to the Throne. I merely wish for my abilities to be used for the good of all,” Arjuna said carefully. He knew he was walking close to the edge of a precipice. Their Master had to be close to tiring of him and she already had two EX ranked Servants. She didn’t need another.

“That is understandable,” a voice said from behind him and Arjuna stiffened, startled. He quickly turned to see their Master, gazing at him with calm eyes. How did she manage to sneak up on him so effortlessly? He hated that! “But the time of heroes is past. The current spectacles might be gratuitous and unnecessary, but I am willing to use them to my advantage.” Arjuna knew that was how her mind worked. She was an incredibly practical woman. Taking a moment, Arjuna examined her again.

As always, Arjuna was struck by her quiet beauty. Their Master was like a Madonna, her hair parted in the middle and left to fall in a simple, golden wave to her shoulders. Her face was untouched by makeup but still nearly flawless, with a pale complexion and limpid blue eyes. She wore no jewelry and preferred to wear only the simplest of dresses, modestly buttoned and high collared. And yet… _She is a very dangerous woman._ There was an incisive mind behind those soft blue eyes. Arjuna also knew, because Fuuma had told him, that there was an extremely fit body beneath those clothes. Their Master was ready to meet any challenges that her role demanded.

“Master.” Karna slid past him easily and Arjuna politely looked away as his brother favored her with a gentle but passionate kiss. They were really a beautiful pair and in other circumstances, Arjuna might have been happy for his brother. “You have our duties for this week?”

“Mmm.” Their Master smiled at Karna, a small, quicksilver smile that quickly vanished. “You will have no duties this week.” Eh? They were all surprised by that. “Unfortunately, there’s a bit of retaliation I have to take… here’s the list of the restrictions being imposed this week.” She offered Arjuna the scroll, who took it with a nod, understanding the instruction. He was to read it aloud for the benefit of everyone. Turning towards the others, Arjuna unfurled the scroll and began to read. There was plenty of flowering language but he soon found the meat of the matter.

“Divinity nullification? Anti-Sun zones? What the fuck?” Achilles complained, crossing his arms. Kotaru was frowning as if he was faced with an enemy. Their Master just smiled, another fleeting expression.

“I recently got the better of not just one of my enemies, but several.” She shrugged, her dress fluttering with the movement. “They have retaliated. It’s annoying but terribly obvious and won’t really cost me too much. We can just wait until the restrictions change, which will be a month at the most.” A month without Karna. He couldn’t function with these restrictions. Achilles and Arjuna could, but at a disadvantage. “I’ll just enter my non-Divine Servants in a few of the minor competitions. You’ll be carrying the team for now, Kotarou,” she said, favoring him with another smile. He bowed his head.

“As you wish, Master,” the ninja murmured and Arjuna thought he would do well, but the purses on minor events were small. Caster could enter things but she was too fragile to act without support. And Berserker… well…

“MAMA!” A tiny form burst into the room and was neatly caught by Karna before it could reach their Master. “Leggo! Mama!”

“Calm yourself. Master could be harmed by your strength,” Karna cautioned and the boy with the long green hair pouted.

“I’m okay! Can I hug mama now?” Their Master laughed and opened her arms. Karna allowed the small, androgynous child to settle against her and Arjuna watched, caught by the beauty of the moment. Their Master had a motherly smile on her face and the child snuggled in, eyes closed. Then Karna was gently embracing them both and Arjuna could imagine they were an odd, but beautiful family.

It was a shame, though, that Berserker was so useless. Something that had never truly existed, the child was named Enkidu. Afflicted with powerful mad enhancements, at first it had been entirely unreasoning and unable to speak, a beast, not a human. Employing a command seal had deactivated the mad enhancements enough to remind Enkidu of what it meant to be human but that had changed him to this form. A childlike form that had probably never existed in reality, with a deep longing for a mother. Theoretically, they could have used him in combat but their Master completely refused. She did not want to harm such childlike innocence.

“Hey kid, want to play Jenga?” Achilles asked and Enkidu looked up, eyes bright. Arjuna was sure the tower would be destroyed again soon. Deciding to vacate the room, Arjuna went to go find Caster. It wasn’t likely their Master would put her into one of the smaller competitions but it could happen. Also, there was another reason Arjuna wanted to visit her.

Caster had a spacious suite of rooms all to herself. That was a great indulgence in this place – the rooms were all quite expensive – but served a purpose. Arjuna knocked politely but then let himself in and took a deep breath. The scent of heavenly cooking immediately assaulted him and Arjuna closed his eyes, just enjoying it. Beef stew, it was not a curry but it still smelled delicious.

“Circe?” Arjuna called and a cheerful voice answered from the kitchen.

“Over here!” Arjuna went to the kitchen and found it was an absolute disaster. Little winged pigs were holding rags and cleaning but it was still nightmarish. Arjuna’s lips quirked in an unwilling smile as the small, pixie like woman fluttered in the air. “This dough! This dough is nothing but problems! Ah, ah, ah! How am I to make my pies?”

“Don’t make pies. We can have stew with fresh bread,” Arjuna suggested and Circe huffed, turning to gaze at him with her iridescent eyes.

“But I should be able to make dough! I don’t know what’s wrong with me today. Ah… maybe you’re right, it’s not worth the effort.” She tossed the dough away and a pig caught it out of the air before dumping it into the green recycling bin. “I’ll make pies tomorrow! The sweetest pies you’ve ever eaten! Pear and goat cheese pies with rosemary!” That sounded… absolutely incredible. “Brushed with egg whites and dusted with sugar to make it properly browned!” Mm… but he couldn’t get too distracted.

“You should be free tomorrow but you might be busy in the future. The restrictions have changed,” Arjuna said and Circe fluttered closer before landing on her feet, gazing at him curiously. “They are anti-Divine and anti-Sun…” Arjuna outlined all the restrictions they faced, which soon had the sorceress frowning.

“That is no good at all! That’s not even making things fair, that’s just making Karna useless!” Yes. The restrictions were meant to make things ‘fair’ and force teams to change their usual tactics. Right now, though, the restrictions were so incredibly harsh on their team that they could do almost nothing. “So it will be just me and Kotarou?”

“Yes, although you won’t be able to participate in much.” Arjuna thought it was more likely Kotarou would do something solo. As an Assassin, he could handle that. Circe simply wasn’t suited to it. “Achilles and I might participate a bit but…” The problem was the entry fees. If there wasn’t a decent chance at a good showing, their Master would lose money. Circe nodded, then smiled.

“Well, if we have an enforced vacation I will make more interesting food!” Oh that would be lovely. In fact.

“A curry, my beautiful lady?” Arjuna wheedled, aware of the fact that he was playing with fire. Circe was a jealous kind of woman… but then, it would hardly be the first time for that. And he found her extremely attractive. Circe’s smile took on a knowing edge.

“How will you repay me for that, prince?” she asked teasingly and Arjuna gently took her hand before kissing her palm. Her indrawn breath and the way her pupils dilated told him everything he needed to know.

“However you would like, my lady,” Arjuna murmured, giving her his best seductive gaze. Circe loved this kind of attention. She laughed, a sweet, tinkling sound before reaching up and stroking his cheek. Her nails were long and could be wickedly sharp, but right now they were soft as a bird’s wings.

“Ah, you handsome man! Come to my rooms later and I’ll cook up something good for you.” Ah, marvelous, Arjuna wanted that as much as the food. As he left the kitchen, Arjuna smiled to himself.

If Karna was taking a dangerous woman for a lover, he would as well.


	2. Chapter 2

Karna woke to the warmth of sunlight on his face. For a moment he just basked in it, the light of his eternal father. It was always so pleasing, like a warm hand on his shoulder, wakening him from his slumber.

Opening his eyes, Karna looked out the window. It was open just enough to let in the breeze, filmy blue curtains fluttering in a slow, languorous dance. Little golden beads dangled from them and tinkled softly, when the wind hit them just so. Karna felt a bit of pleasure in his heart at the sight. Those had been his addition to the room.

“Mmm…” Karna turned his attention to their Master and smiled as he saw she had buried her head into her pillow in an effort to avoid wakefulness. She was not a morning person. No, she was more the kind of person to stay up late and then shuffle out of bed, sleepy eyed and desperate for coffee.

Karna was quite the opposite, of course, rising with the dawn. But they had adapted to that and he slipped easily out of the bed to prepare coffee. The smell of it would rouse her and if by some chance it didn’t, Karna would waken her. Smiling, he measured out the coffee grounds to the level she preferred. Their Master loved her coffee very strong, cut with cream to make it bearable. Karna started the machine and listened as it began to bubble and sputter. The smell of coffee began to waft through the room and Karna waited patiently.

On cue, there was a muttering sound from the bedroom and the sound of shuffling. Karna waited with a smile until his Master shuffled into the room, wearing a tattered robe and fluffy bunny slippers. Her eyes were half-closed and her expression was disgruntled. Not because of anything he had done, of course, but because –

“That coffee smells wonderful but I have to shower quickly… damn Richard, I swear he does this just to spite me…” She grumbled before shuffling off to the bathroom and Karna nodded sympathetically, although she could not see. A 9 AM meeting for someone who preferred to rise late was indeed a great trial. Satisfied that his Master was in the bathroom, Karna began making breakfast. She would not take too long to shower and dry her hair, it behooved him to start the food immediately.

With the ease of long practice, Karna timed it perfectly. The sound of the hair dryer shut off just as he was plating the last of the food. His Master came out of the bathroom, looking far more alert. She smiled as she saw him and it carried a warmth that was unlike her usual smiles.

“Karna,” she breathed his name and Karna moved, catching her in a gentle embrace. They kissed then, slow and tender.

“Juliet,” Karna murmured her name when they were done, feeling her body, so solid and warm in his arms. Her name was a special privilege given only to him. (although Achilles would call her that when he wanted to annoy her)

“Ah, you brighten my morning, just like the sun,” she murmured in his ear and Karna’s arms around her tightened as her words struck his heart. That was so beautiful, the kind of thing he wished he knew how to say. Alas, his own words were never so eloquent. “But I need that coffee.”

“Of course,” Karna immediately let her go and she gave him another warm smile before moving to the table. Karna joined her, taking his own portion of the food, although he preferred tea. Some Masters did not feed their Servants, since they did not require it, but Juliet believed in giving them creature comforts. Although all the other Servants ate in Circe’s quarters.

“Mmm, you are so good at this now. How did I survive without you?” Juliet sighed in pleasure as she ate her omelette. Karna just smiled to himself. He didn’t think it was anything remarkable – he made omelets because he tended to break the eggs – but his Master deeply appreciated it.

They did not talk as they ate, focusing on the food. There was not much time left… as soon as his Master finished her meal and coffee she had to dress. Karna cleaned up the dishes as she put on a soft violet dress, in the usual style she favored. The only thing slightly different was the triple string of pearls she wore over it. They nestled beautifully over the dress and Karna thought they softened the severe style well.

“You are beautiful Master,” Karna said. He was no good at flowery language, his attempts to communicate were often very poor, but he was good at speaking the truth. However, Juliet frowned, reaching up to touch the pearls.

“I don’t look too feminine, do I?” Too… feminine? Karna found it a difficult question to comprehend. To him, she was as beautiful as his late Vrushali. She could never be anything but feminine to his eyes. “I just want to be taken seriously. You know how these pigs can be.” That, Karna did understand. She was a strong and powerful woman in a land ruled by men. Even knowing better, they tended to dismiss her.

“You look dignified, like a fine noblewoman,” Karna said after a moment of thought. “I do not think it is too feminine.” His Master was reassured by that, giving him a quick, flashing smile.

“Thank you. Remember, we need to speak later,” she said and Karna bowed his head obediently, although he did not look forward to that. Yet, it was necessary. As his Master departed Karna turned back to the dishes, drying them and putting them away. As he did, he thought about the future discussion.

It would be about the team in general and Arjuna in particular. Arjuna was a new addition to their team and to Karna, not unwelcome. Despite the joy Karna found in matching his skill against Arjuna, the thrill of fighting his only true equal, Karna wished to live out the ideal their mother had wished for. Things between them were chilly but functional.

What was troublesome was Arjuna’s attitude. Karna understood his resentment yet had little patience for it. If Duryodhana had wished him to engage in pointless combat, for entertainment, Karna would have done so. It was not beneath him to provide entertainment for others and combat was a joy, with or without purpose. If their Master had been someone else Karna’s feelings might have been different, but Juliet handled them like a true Queen, firmly but gently.

Arjuna, though, was a prince and he felt otherwise. Arjuna found it degrading to be forced into he role of entertainment, despicable to battle for money, and he did not appreciate being ‘owned’ by anyone. There was no Grail, no great prize to be claimed, so Arjuna had no true reason to be here. Karna was grateful that despite his feelings, Arjuna had given them a chance. Karna could only hope the budding relationships would cement, truly making Arjuna one of them.

Arjuna, though, was not the only problem. Their team was a good mixture of large egos – Achilles and Arjuna – more retiring members – himself and Kotarou – and a pure mischief maker in the form of Circe. Enkidu gave them someone they needed to protect, which was all to the good. It was a positive mix… when they had something to do. Without anything to do, they would quickly get into trouble. As the right hand to their Master, Karna would help her keep things under control. He knew it would be a difficult task, but Karna would accept that.

The simplest way to prevent trouble would be excursions outside the Clock Tower. With the dishes put away, Karna went to use the computer. He would look up various trips and activities the Servants could engage in. It was difficult, finding something everyone would enjoy, including Juliet. Thanks to past incidents, Servants were not allowed outside the Clock Tower without a Master. Karna sipped his tea as he perused various websites, making notes of attractions that seemed acceptable.

Karna hoped that he could find something everyone would enjoy.

* * *

 

Arjuna swam beneath the water, rolling over as he did to gaze up at the sky. Sunlight streamed through the blue water and he marvelled at the beauty of it, the way it broke up in the blue water. Surfacing, Arjuna took a deep breath as the water spilled over his skin.

_This is also why I don’t want to return to the Throne of Heroes,_ Arjuna thought as he swam to the edge of the pool. Resting there was his drink, a beautiful concoction of pineapple juice, coconut milk and something alcoholic. Arjuna brought it to his lips and sipped, savoring the play of flavors. _It is so good to be alive again._

Turning around, Arjuna let his gaze wander over the pool. It was not a private pool – they couldn’t afford that – but it was exclusive and the crowds were light at noon on a weekday. In fact, there was just one woman doing laps in the pool with them and three others sunning themselves in the chairs. The pool itself was very large, with an adjoining hot tub. Achilles was enjoying that but Arjuna’s gaze was immediately caught by his brother. Karna was settled comfortably on a pool ring that had a sun theme. (that had to be deliberate) His eyes were closed and Arjuna thought he was asleep, dozing as he bobbed slowly in the gentle currents caused by the swimmer and the light breeze.

“Push him over. You know you want to,” a voice whispered in his ear and Arjuna stiffened. For one horrible moment he thought the voice was in his own mind, that thing he called _black._ But… that was far too innocent a suggestion and… that voice… Arjuna sharply turned his head and saw Circe had somehow snuck up behind him and was kneeling on the stone.

“I would never be so juvenile,” Arjuna said frostily although truthfully, it was a tempting thought. Exactly the kind of trick a younger brother would play on the elder. Circe pressed a finger to her lower lip, glancing away as if she was thinking about it.

“I’ll do it for you then,” Circe said brightly and Arjuna didn’t stop her as she softly incanted. This was amusing… Arjuna watched as silvery forms, undines or nymphs, slid beneath the surface of the water.

Karna was caught entirely by surprise. The tube was shoved up from beneath and Karna tumbled into the water with a splash. He immediately surfaced, hair flopped over his face and blue eyes searching for the culprit. Later, Arjuna would realize his smirk was very badly timed as Karna’s eyes fell on him. Blue eyes narrowed and flashed to red. Arjuna had just enough time to realize that Karna was very angry before a bolt of light hit the water in front of him.

Water exploded over him in a wave and Arjuna was hit with such violence that water was forced up his nose. Rage flashed through him and ignoring the physical pain, Arjuna went directly for Karna. He caught his brother a bit by surprise and got his hands around Karna’s throat. They both went into the water, Karna beneath Arjuna and he concentrated on throttling him even as Karna’s eye glowed for another mana burst –

_Stop this instant!_ Their Master’s voice flashed through Arjuna’s mind with the authority of a Command Seal. His hands involuntarily spasmed, releasing Karna’s neck and the light in his brother’s eye snuffed out. Rage still burned, but more dully as Arjuna surfaced, Karna right behind him. To Arjuna’s vague surprise, none of the normal humans were showing any sign of alarm. The woman in the pool was still doing laps. Ah, there had to be a spell over their minds.

Their Master was standing at the edge of the pool, gazing at them with a combination of sadness and disappointment that would have melted the hardest of hearts. Arjuna was still angry but felt a bit badly for his overreaction. Karna, meanwhile, had no chance at all and lowered his head, avoiding looking at their Master. She was still beautiful, wearing a simple white, modestly cut swimsuit. Over it she wore a gauzy green cover-up.

“Both of you disappoint me. Have we not left past feuds behind us?” she chided them gently and Arjuna looked down at the water. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure he could ever do that. “What caused this?”

“Oh I’m so sorry!” Circe jumped in and Arjuna looked at her. To his mild disgruntlement, she was still completely dry. Had she protected herself with magic or just foreseen Karna’s actions? “It was my fault, I just wanted to play a trick on Karna, I had no idea this would happen!” …Hmph. Arjuna thought that Circe was proactively apologizing to avoid punishment, not because she felt any remorse.

“Mmm, we’ll speak of that later… Karna?” Their Master looked at his brother expectantly and Karna hesitated a moment before lifting his head. Blue eyes met his before his brother spoke, a touch unwillingly.

“I… apologize for my actions. I was mistaken,” he said before looking away again. Arjuna was tempted to spurn the apology but then he knew what would happen. Their Master would be giving him that sad look and gently chiding him, reminding him of his mother. And the worst part was, she would be right. There was no point in holding grudges over something so petty.

“I accept your apology,” Arjuna said, hoping he didn’t sound as grudging as he felt. The look of approval their Master gave him made it almost worth it.

“Excellent. Karna, come with me please,” their Master said, holding a hand out for Karna. He went to her side and took her hand and she pulled him easily out of the pool, with no sign of strain. They went to the pool chairs together and Arjuna pulled himself out of the pool, doing the same. There were many towels there… as he was drying himself off, Arjuna happened to glance towards Karna and their Master. So he saw her ‘helping’ his brother dry off, running a towel over Karna’s body as Karna dried his hair with another.

_How thoughtful of her,_ Arjuna thought with no small amount of sarcasm as he looked away. It was odd to think but if he was concerned about anyone, it was Karna. _He is too easy to use._ Not unknowing, no, but Karna was too accepting. _Can’t he see that he is a tool for her ambitions?_ But Karna did see that. He just saw everything else and Arjuna shook his head as he dried his own hair. _She must love him._ The two things were not mutually exclusive, after all. And for true love, and one that he returned, Karna would follow her everywhere.

“How does he bear it so easily?” Arjuna murmured aloud. He’d never been able to tolerate being used that way, even by those who loved him. “…” It was so hard, being a Servant. Settling down on the beach chair, Arjuna resolved not to think about it further and just enjoy the sun.

He still enjoyed being alive. Arjuna did not want to return to the Throne too soon.


End file.
